Cow escapes from Herndon farm, then evades capture for miles

A recently purchased cow escaped from a Herndon park this week, then evaded capture for miles before finally being re-captured.

Fairfax County Park Authority said the cow, named Hokie, was under routine quarantine Tuesday at Frying Pan Farm Park when she jumped over a 3.5-foot tall wagon during stall cleaning and took to the streets of Herndon. She was later re-captured on the northbound exit ramp of Route 28 to the Dulles Toll Road – 2.5 miles from where she escaped.

Hokie, a 1,200-pound purebred Black Angus heifer, jumped over guard rails and jersey walls to evade capture, Fairfax County Park Authority said. She was captured along a jersey wall with the help of good Samaritan drivers who used their vehicles to corner the cow. One of the good Samaritans exited his vehicle and went on the other side of the jersey wall to prevent the cow from jumping over.

Hokie, who is 20 months old, was purchased from Virginia Tech only two days before her escape.

Fairfax County Police Department and Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department were immediately notified of the escape and joined farm staff in the pursuit of Hokie.

According to Fairfax County Park Authority, Frying Pan Farm Park staff is now “working to acclimate Hokie to her new home and have increased security measures to prevent the surprisingly nimble cow from escaping again.”